2020 winners of the Mathematical Sciences Sponsorship Fund

Vedrana Mikulić Crnković

Vedrana Mikulić Crnković was born in 1979 in Rijeka where she finished elementary school and high school. In 1998 she graduated Mathematics and Computer Sciences (Teacher Training) at Faculty of Philosophy, University of Rijeka. She received a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Zagreb in 2009. She is an Associate Professor and Head of the Division of discrete mathematics at the Department of Mathematics, University of Rijeka, Croatia.

Bio

Her scientific interest is in the fields of combinatorics, discrete mathematics, and coding theory. In addition to engaging in science and teaching, she is very active in the popularization of science. She published 17 scientific papers and actively participated in 14 international scientific conferences. In addition, she published 5 professional papers, held numerous professional and popular lectures, organized many popularization activities (Science Festival, Evenings of Mathematics, Exhibition Imaginary - through the eyes of mathematics in Rijeka...) and led several projects aimed at popularizing science, mathematics and mathematics studies.

Editorial

The Department of Mathematics, as a part of the University of Rijeka, Croatia, is a modern research and teaching department focused on the development of human resources in the field of mathematics. Apart from scientific activity, the Department also participates in organizing and conducting study programs in the field of mathematics and mathematics courses on other University’s departments.

The Department is aware of the need to bring science, and especially mathematics, closer to the young and that is why the Department participates in numerous manifestations aimed at bringing scientific methods closer to the citizens, children, and students. The goal of this project is to design a mathematical room escape, Math Escape, with an original approach to bring mathematics closer to primary and secondary school students, to show how mathematics can be interesting, fun and exciting, and to create a positive attitude about mathematics. In order to do that we designed and 3d printed materials necessary for solving the math escape room tasks, recorded images and movies with 360 camera, programmed VR interface in Unity and we designed the story, tasks, and hints. The persons who participated in the design and implementation of this activity are Bojan Crnković, Vedrana Mikulić Crnković, and Ivona Traunkar.

The Department is constantly working with students and is always developing new and creative ways to work with children and students. We plan to use all the equipment obtained through this project to continue doing that. Our goal is to engage math students, future teachers, in the realization of the project and hopefully help them to convey their enthusiasm for mathematics to students in their future work.

Ila Varma

Dr. Ila Varma is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, and received her B.S. from the California Institute of Technology and PhD from Princeton University. Her research focuses on arithmetic statistics (in particular, asymptotics of class groups and number fields) and more generally, number theory and arithmetic geometry. She is a 2020 recipient of the Sloan Fellowship and was a Fulbright Scholar in 2010. Outside of research, Ila is a trustee of the PROMYS Foundation, director of PROMYS India, and a strong supporter of diversity and inclusivity in mathematics.

Editorial

PROMYS is an intensive high-school summer program based out of Boston for over 30 years, focused on teaching number theory and methods of mathematical research. As a trustee of the PROMYS Foundation, I have worked this year in the areas of fundraising and international development to continue their mission to ensure that every student who could benefit from PROMYS has the opportunity to do so, regardless of financial need. Recently, we have been working towards launching PROMYS India, the second international offshoot of PROMYS. The goal is to introduce the PROMYS philosophy to diverse students in India and foster a democratic spirit of community and learning. The support from the Mathematical Sciences Sponsorship Fund will help fund the many challenging parts of opening an innovative mathematics camp in a foreign country - including supporting logistics, marketing, travel and admissions of PROMYS India. As the inaugural director of PROMYS India, I am particularly excited to establish a unique global community of mathematics through the PROMYS programs.